TSMC chairman likens company to Toyota car

TSMC Chairman Morris Chang announced Monday that the world's largest chip foundry for hire will likely have better prospects than its US-based rivals.

Chang sees the popularization of notebooks, netbooks and smartphones as a positive development for TSMC, as Intel is still primarily focused on high performance chips.

"TSMC can be likened to a Toyota car with popularized technology and great client demand, while Intel is more like a Mercedes-Benz that is aimed at a smaller, high-end market," said Chang. We wonder where the likes of AMD and Nvidia would fit in this car brand comparison.

Chang argues that TSMC is devoted to developing production process technology, but that it's total R&D costs would surpass Intel's if partners' development costs were factored into the equation.